A Click Too Fast

Posted on January 12, 2017January 12, 2017 by Dusty Roads

Sometimes I can be really stupid. What’s that expression, “Measure Twice , Cut once” ? There should be one about ask twice before delete once. It may not be a snappy but it would have saved me buckets of grief!

I mentioned this a few posts ago but I have more info now.

I have my photo website, http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com. Here you can order prints of my pictures if you find some you really like. I haven’t had much luck with the “Fine Art” or Animal and Nature prints so far but I was really trying to drive interest by adding greeting cards.

One of the vendors had an awesome collection of templates , especially for Christmas and Hanukkah. You could select the template, add the photo you liked and even add 2 lines like “from our house to yours” or ” Season’s greeting, the Jones Family”.

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Because I was beginning to get inquiries I went behind the scenes to be sure my price lists were up to date. I didn’t want someone putting in an order that I couldn’t fill. That would not make for a positive experience. Sure enough, the single card option was gone.

I spent hours searching through the data bases, nada. So with a heavy heart and feeling quite discouraged I might add, I deleted the price list and started over with the options that are now available.

On a whim I sent off an email to zenfolio customer support. They confirmed the single card option was gone but they told me I was grandfathered in. WHAT! Unfortunately there is no way for them to restore the price lists I deleted so even though I was grandfathered that too fast click on delete took it all away.

I’ve been looking into what they call “Self Full filled” options so if I can locate templates, I may be back in business.

I hope so. I really wanted to see this pick up this year. I think I will practice on the Birthday Cards first.

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I’ll keep you posted!

Jackson NH

Posted on January 10, 2017January 10, 2017 by Dusty Roads

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I had a vision of horses running through the snow and pulling a sleigh. Now I really didn’t care if it was a one horse, 2 horse or a whole team but to get this “vision” captured in a photo I had to go in search of snow and snow with horse drawn sleighs. christmassleighride1920x1200

I did a google search and came up with a few places but the one that caught my eye was the Jingle Bell Chocolate tour in Jackson, NH.

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This is a Holiday event in the elegant resort town of Jackson, NH.

For a small fee you are driven in a sleigh drawn by a team of Austrian draft horses around Jackson to different inns and locations. Some mentioned are the Wentworth, the Snowflake Inn, The Riverwood Inn and Flossie’s General Store.

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At each stop you get to sample a chocolate treat. You also receive a holiday bag for leftovers and a jingle bell.

The catch is that you have to be staying at one of the Inns. The sleigh rides start and end at Nestlenook Farms.

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I figured I might as well drive up because the photo I wanted wouldn’t be from in a sleigh anyway.

It was a 4 hour drive but it was a beautiful day. When I left Taunton it was sunny and the sky was blue however as I approached Jackson the weather began to change. It started to get really cold and clouds began to roll in. It even started to spit a little snow. I was also getting a little discouraged as I passed through North Conway. There was absolutely no snow on the ground! How would I ever get the picture I wanted?

Jackson and North Conway are in the White Mountains and the White Mountain National Forest so you can imagine how scenic the ride was.

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Arriving in Jackson you drive over a one lane covered bridge, (Covered Bridge #51) also known as the Honeymoon Bridge. Originally built in 1876 it has had improvements and upgrades over the years. The name “Honeymoon Bridge” comes from a tradition of lovers kissing under it for good luck.

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In the end I did not get my “vision”. It will have to wait for another day and different conditions but I enjoyed my explorations, Jackson Falls, The Honey Moon Bridge and the horse drawn sleighs on wheels.

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If any of my readers are from the New England area and know of winter sleigh rides, please leave me a comment. I’m still looking for someplace to get that photo and now we have SNOW!

Photo #4

Posted on January 2, 2017January 2, 2017 by Dusty Roads

In a nod to all the pet birds out there, this blue parakeet or Budgie made the cut. I had a bird that looked just like him when I was little. His name was Pitty Pat.

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Photo #3

Posted on January 1, 2017January 1, 2017 by Dusty Roads

Who’s a pretty bird? I seem to have a knack for bird photos. There were quite a few birds in the top 10 last year. Here’s a pretty Cockatiel.

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Photo Number 1

Posted on December 30, 2016December 30, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Although I called this Photo Number 1, I don’t mean it’s necessarily the best. I mean it’s the first photo to make the cut.

This is a photo of a humpback whale “Surface feeding” as he skims the surface with his mouth open, the baleen strains the water out leaving the tiny fish and krill in his jaws.

The photo is sharp, can be enlarged and caught an unusual subject. It’s not everyday you see a whale feeding like this.

Baleen – Stellwagon Banks, Massachusetts Bay, MA

Anyone who knows me understands that I have a fascination with humpback whales. I’ve been following them and whale watching for over 30 years. This season was one of the best whale watch season I can remember. I even saw my first breaching whale. Unfortunately it was too far away for the picture I got to pass the top 10 criteria test.